When I joined High Road, we had storylines together. I was playing Dominic Dunbar, who was fostered and then adopted by Lesley’s character Sheila. We were recording three episodes a week and it was fast, like a conveyor belt, with only one day off.

Lesley taught me how to cope and gave me an understanding of how it worked and the discipline required.

She was so professional but we still had fun on the set. We’d always take the mickey out of one another and laugh if we fluffed any lines.

Even my own mum used to say that Lesley was my second mother.

I was in High Road until I was 19 and she was always there for the break-ups and tears, as well as the good times.

I always acted older than I was and after work she’d ask me to go for a drink – until she remembered I was 14. Instead, we’d go for haggis, neeps and tatties at The Pipers’ Tryst and I’d have a cola until my coming of age and then we’d have a gin together.

Once, we were in the green room at STV and decided to get a sandwich from the shop outside. I wanted ciabatta bread and Lesley said it was pronounced chi-abbata.

We ended up asking the owner how you pronounced it and I was right, despite my youth. It was one of those old chestnuts. You had to be there but we fell around laughing and kept bringing it up at every opportunity.

Lesley was special and never took herself seriously. You’d walk down the street and people would look at us because we were on the telly but Lesley would always forget that. She’d ask me if they were staring because she had toilet roll stuck to her dress or dog poo on her shoe.

She only used her fame to help others and she enjoyed giving back. She did charity work and was patron of the Canine Society. She never had any graces and always had time for people.

When I met my wife-to-be Sharon at the age of 21, the two of them hit it off straight away.

Lesley told me: “Stick with her. She’s the one for you.”

They had a similar sense of humour and Sharon, an only child, looked on Lesley as a sister. When I asked her to be godmother of my eldest son 13 years ago, Lesley was so proud. I would have happily had her as godmother to all of them. I couldn’t think of anyone better.

Lesley loved opening a bottle of champagne. She’d love some fizz as a wee treat and we’d often pop in with a bottle and phone up for a wee curry.

She loved occasions like Halloween. It was a big thing at her house and she’d always make pumpkin soup, haggis, neeps and tatties and jelly hands.

She’d do it all for the kids and she loved dressing up with wigs. She was once the Wicked Queen in Sleeping Beauty. We thought it was funny because she could never be evil.

At one of the kids’ parties, we had a big bouncy castle and after all the children had got off it, the only person left bouncing was Lesley. She embraced life fully.

Everyone loved Lesley. I’m devastated she’s joined the names up there in the big sky. But there’s no doubt she’ll be sipping champagne, dressed up to the nines and having everyone in stitches.